What exactly is a Flea?

Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that survive as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by consuming blood or hematophagy, from their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about 3 mm or .12 in long, are usually brown, and have bodies that are “flattened” sideways, or narrow, enabling them to move through their host’s fur or feathers. They lack wings, but have strong claws preventing them from being dislodged; mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood, and hind legs extremely well adapted for jumping. They are able to leap a distance of some 50 times their body length, a feat second only to jumps made by another group of insects, the superfamily of froghoppers. Fleas’ larvae are worm-like with no limbs; they have chewing mouthparts and feed on organic debris left on their host’s skin.

These are the symptoms of flea bites on dogs to look for:
​1. Severe scratching and itching.
2. Biting and chewing at the skin.
3. Hair loss.
4. Scabs.
5. Red, irritated skin.

How to Avoid!

Pet owners love their four-legged friends. In fact, many are considered a part of the family. However, one thing that dog and cat lovers hate are the fleas that ultimately find their way onto their beloved pet and into the home.

Protecting your dog from fleas is an important part of responsible pet care. Fleas cause distress for pets and can cause a condition called Flea Allergy Dermatitis. Fleas, which can live both inside and outside of the home, can transmit tapeworms to animals, and their bites commonly cause skin irritation and itching. In fact, if you see your pet twisting into pretzle-like shapes trying to scratch certain body parts, chances are they have an allergy to the saliva of fleas — or flea allergy dermatitis.

The best approach to managing an infestation is prevention. Giving your pet frequent baths, regularly cleaning your pet’s bedding and vacuuming furniture, rugs and floors will help break the flea’s life cycle.

It is important to start treatment before there is a flea problem, One or two fleas can quickly become hundreds of fleas on your pet, so treating fleas fast is important.

Flea treatments.

If your pet has flea problems, you may want to consider treating your pet with an over-the-counter solution. For those pet owners seeking an alternative to topical flea medication, oral tablets such as FastCaps (nitenpyram). FastCaps contain nitenpyram, the same veterinarian-recommended active ingredient found in Capstar (nitenpyram), and begins working in 30 minutes to kill adult fleas on your pet. The fast-acting oral tablet, which can be found at discount retailers, works for dogs and cats that are two pounds or greater and four weeks of age or older.

Flea treatments meant for dogs can be hazardous to cats. Flea and tick ointment is also hazardous to humans; the label of a commercial preparation warns: First aid: If on skin or clothing, take off contaminated clothing, rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15 – 20 minutes.

Although (the product is) applied only between the shoulder blades and at the base of the tail, the dog’s skin and hair oils carry the product over the entire body . . . Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling . . . Since more than three-quarters of a flea’s life is spent somewhere other than on the host animal, it is not adequate to treat only the animal; it is equally important to treat the host’s environment. Thorough vacuuming, washing linens in hot water, and treating all hosts in the immediate environment (the entire household, for example) are essential and if possible must be performed on a regular basis.

Contemporary commercial products for the topical treatment of flea infestations on pets contain pesticides such as imidacloprid, permethrin, and (S)-methoprene. All flea-control products are recommended to be used at least half-yearly because the lifecycle of flea and tick can last to up to 6 months, and by using one of the flea and tick control products for so long, the infestation is highly prevented and, in the end, stopped. Although all these products are effective in fighting against flea and tick infestations, they have different active ingredients and, because cats cannot metabolize some of the compounds of the product, care must be taken in their use.